


Beautiful Intentions

by Shy_St4r_Night



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Genin Teams, Jealousy, Love Triangles, Mutual Pining, Pining, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26890261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shy_St4r_Night/pseuds/Shy_St4r_Night
Summary: Shinki has always been known to be calm and collected but when his father sends him to Konohagakure upon an agreement made between the Hokage and Kazekage. He finds himself questioning his decisions when he meets his old opponent Cho Cho Akimichi. She makes a big impact not only on him but Mitsuki as well who has also recently developed an interest in her. Having two ninja interested in her only creates trouble.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Shinki/Akimichi ChouChou/Mitsuki, Uchiha Sarada/Uzumaki Boruto
Kudos: 15





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** I don’t own any of the characters or Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. They belong to Ukyo Kodachi. This is just a work of fan imagination.
> 
> **Pairs:** Shinki/Cho Cho/Mitsuki, Boruto/Sarada/Araya

_The other two before, nor you, are suited to be called shinobi….._

_Hurry and give up….._

Those spoken words sparked a fire within her. How dare he say something so insulting to her! Acting so condescending and belittling her friends! Well, if this was how he was going to act then she would not hold back against him. _You make me so mad!_ A giant fist was rushing towards him as their match began. 

_You never know until you try…._

Their fight ended with him as the victor. Strong green eyes looked at the girl who stood on shaky legs. He had to admit he was disappointed. After he slammed her into the ground, he expected her to stay down and admit defeat. Although, he realized that this girl was stubborn as she began getting up despite her father's encouragement of staying down. Pathetic. She clearly was almost out of chakra as she swayed on her feet. _Just admit defeat…_

He saw the determination in her gaze as she looked at him. She wasn’t going to back down. _So be it,_ he thought watching her hands come together in an unsteady jutsu sign. The sign was unfamiliar to him, but he brought his guard back up once she suddenly jumped back and exploded. A ball shot out at him which he easily blocked with his iron sand. He would not be defeated by a simple attack such as this. The force of her jutsu made his feet sink beneath him. He noticed this immediately and smirked wickedly at her strength. He would get to have a decent fight after all. His chakra flowed smoothly through his sand making it stronger against her. Both ninja fought for dominance but his excitement dulled once he saw the smoke coming from her attack. How disappointing this was the extent of her power. 

_Hey… Did your opinion of me change, even just by a little bit…._

Her voice sounded confident despite being defeated. Her gaze found his again looking for approval. 

_Well… Just that I was better than you from the start._

The confidence immediately dissolved before she muttered something to him. He watched as she violently swayed then fainted. _How frustrating this guy is!_ Was her departing thought before her world went dark. 

_I’ll show you what reality is like…._


	2. Chapter 2

1.

That flashback randomly came back to her as Cho Cho evaded another attack from her mother's lightning. How frustrating that guy was! Although by the time she woke up in the infirmary surrounded by her family and best friend, she could admit to herself that he was a handsome guy. Despite him being victorious, which kind of hurt her ego. _Oh well! Just need to train harder in order to get stronger! Ah, what a pain though,_ she thought ducking an electric fist. That day it was satisfying to watch as he got pummeled into the wall by Boruto’s purple lightning. Hmpf! Serves him right for being a jerk! She had expressed happily munching on chips cheering for the seventh’s son. He deserved much more than that for looking down on people.

“Cho Cho! Focus!” Her mother’s fist connected with her stomach smashing her out of her flashback. The force from her blow was not overpowering, just annoying. 

“Ow! Mom do you have to hit so hard.” The young kunoichi pouted, rubbing her tender stomach. Karui frowned at her daughter. How was she supposed to get stronger if she didn’t start taking her training seriously. This child! Everyday they trained and yet, she couldn’t perform a simple thunderfist. _So much like her father,_ she observed when the younger girl pulled out a bag of potato chips from her ninja bag.

“Do you think the enemy will be soft when they are attacking you? No. Put those chips away and get serious!” A flash of lightning illuminated her fist before she charged at her daughter. 

_So annoying!_ Cho Cho thought, evading another set of fists aimed at her. She didn’t tell her mom this in fear of her anger but she was sure that she couldn’t learn her type of ninjutsu. She tried to conjure up enough chakra to make lightning but she just couldn’t do it. Even Sarada tried to help her with no results. She immediately gave up when her chakra levels were so low that she felt exhausted every time they sparred. Instead she chose to focus on her butterfly mode, by strengthening her attacks. 

After a few more moments of observing how Cho Cho responded to her attacks she stopped. “I think that will be enough training for today. When we spar again I expect you to come at me with lightning.” Her mom’s stern voice scared her more than her thought of running out of food. Scary amber eyes locked onto hers.

“Yes Ma’am!” Cho Cho shivered. Man, her mom could be frightening sometimes. She watched as her mom crossed her arms and sighed.

“You know I’m only doing this so you can grow into a strong kunoichi right? I need you to take this more seriously Cho Cho. That means training everyday and practicing as much as you can with lightning. You do want to learn the thunderclap fist don’t you?”

“Yes,” she avoided her mother’s gaze before replying. “I’m just having a hard time right now with performing it. So I think I need more time before I spar again with you.”

Karui tightened her gaze. “You haven’t been practicing, have you?”

Cho Cho nervously smiled. “Uh no,” she meekly replied before grabbing her head in pain as her mom hit her. Not hard but enough to hurt. 

“Cho Cho Akimichi! Until you start taking your training seriously I want you to stay here! No dinner until I see a spark of lightning from your fists!” 

“Ow!” she pouted again. “But mom! What if I die from starvation! I need to eat in order to keep my full figure, otherwise the boys will no longer recognize me.” She immediately shut her mouth as a gleam of fire rose within her mom's eyes. It scared her when her mom got like this. “Yes mom.” She deflated as her mom walked away. 

“Once I see a spark of lightning, you can eat. Until then, train! I will leave your food on the counter.” With that last remark the older Akimichi disappeared from sight. 

Cho Cho sighed loudly before going to sit under a tree. Her mom could be annoying at times, but she was right about Cho Cho wanting to learn thunderclap. Ever since the Chunin exams, she felt that maybe she could have participated better. Maybe even be stronger. Although her opponent was on another level that even surpassed her best friend, Sarada, and she was the strongest kunoichi she knew. The Uchiha excelled over the entire class once her sharingan awoke and blossomed more throughout her exams. The girl was in a league of her own and progressed as she grew. That was why it made Cho Cho angry when that obnoxious sand-nin threw her against the wall. She was sure that if Sarada had had an opening with her attacks she would have made that guy pay big time. If only though. He may have been handsome but he was still a jerk.

She sighed loudly again for emphasis before bringing her heels underneath her. Her hands came together in the signature chakra pose as she felt her chakra replenish itself. Her whole body felt the power surging within her, begging to be released. Her eyes closed as she exhaled then focused most of her chakra to her right hand. The flow was there but she couldn’t quite form what she wanted and it drove her insane. Why was this so hard! She could see it but it wouldn’t take a shape! She wanted to give up but her mother’s words of going without dinner scared her to become more determined. She wanted to eat, damn it! She wouldn’t be denied food. After several more tries of focusing her chakra she fell back exhausted, panting heavily.

Man, why was this so hard? Her mother could do it with ease, so why couldn’t she? Her eyes looked to the side and spotted her lightly salted chips. An evil thought flowed through her mind of disobeying her mother but she was scary enough as it is. Plus she really wanted to eat dinner that her mom prepared. It tasted better when it was made by a loved one. The minutes ticked by as she laid there determining what to do next. Her chakra reserves were low and she felt very exhausted. Although she couldn’t just keep laying on the ground forever, the bugs were starting to show and crawl all over her. As she started getting up a rustle in the bushes alerted someone’s presence. 

In an instant her ninja training kicked in and she grabbed a kunai from her pouch. Though it instantly dropped when she saw who it was. “Ah! Sarada you scared me!” A hand flew to her chest in panic.

“Huh? Oh Cho Cho! What are you doing out here?” Sarada asked, pushing up her glasses. She planned on getting more training before Team 7 left on another mission, but found her best friend instead. Judging by her dirty clothes it looked like she had been sparring with someone recently.

“My mom wants me to master thunderclap fist, and wont let me go home to eat dinner till I do! It's totally unfair right! Like she knows I need my calories to keep my figure full. I can just imagine how disappointed all the boys will be once they see I’m not to my full beauty.” She huffed before flipping her hair.

“Yeah, I could imagine that,” her friend grinned at her. Sometimes Cho Cho’s confidence was a little much but she appreciated her all the same. Without that confidence she wouldn’t be Cho Cho. “Thunderclap fist huh? You still can’t produce lightning?” The other girl shook her head sadly. She really wanted to learn both her parent’s jutsus and become stronger just like every ninja in their generation. Was that too much to ask? 

The young uchiha suddenly smiled at her, making an alarming bell go off in her mind. “You know, we could ask my dad. He is an expert at lightning release ninjutsu and could help you better than I could.”

At first she thought that she didn’t hear her right. Train with her dad? Who was a legendary sannin! Not to mention gorgeous! A blush promptly formed on her face. It would be a dream come true! But….  
“Thank you Sarada, but I think my mom wants me to learn on my own. Well, with some help from you,” she grinned at her. “Plus your super handsome dad would be quite the distraction!” She winked at her with a smile.

Sarada chuckled. Yep Cho Cho wouldn’t be the same without her confidence. “If you're sure, but didn’t your mom say no dinner if you couldn’t produce lightning? It’s getting kind of late and the training grounds will close soon.” She noticed the sun quickly setting beyond the horizon and glanced back at Cho Cho. The young girl was freaking out and grabbed her friend, shaking her.

“What! How did it become so late! What am I gonna do Sarada! Without dinner I will waste away to nothing! Poof! My beauty will be gone forever.” 

“Cho Cho calm down. You could come have dinner with my family. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind. My mom always makes too much anyways.” 

Tears started to form in her eyes as she nearly sobbed on her best friend. The uchiha was a saint! “Thank you! Thank you! I promise not to drool too much over your dad.”

Sarada merely chuckled. “Alright! C’mon let’s go. Dinner should almost be done now.”

The dark skinned kunoichi smiled again as she followed the other girl out of the training grounds.

~+~+~  
Being close to the legendary sannins overwhelmed her senses as she stood with Sarada outside her door. Cho Cho started sweating nervously. In a few seconds she would meet the two most important people who prevented the world from chaos. Was she ready for this? She thought anxiously, tapping Sarada on the shoulder.  
“Hey, um it is ok for me to be here right? I mean having dinner with your family?”

Sarada threw on her best smile. “Of course! Like I said my mom always makes too much. Plus I always wanted to introduce you to my parents. They are curious about you.”

“Huh? Me? Why?”

“Well we are best friends. I think they want to see who I hang around with. They already met Boruto and Mitsuki.”

“Boruto? I bet they thought he was a lot huh?” She grinned knowingly at her dark haired friend who gave her back that same grin.  


“My dad likes him though. He is his student after all. As for Mitsuki, they were civil to each other.”

That name again. Cho Cho didn’t really know what to make of Mitsuki other than he seemed to enjoy pushing her buttons all the time which annoyed her to no end. They couldn’t even have one simple conversation without him using his weird speech to irk her. Although, just like every girl in her class she thought he was handsome too. Damn her girlish feelings! 

“Cho Cho?” A poke brought her out of her inner thoughts. “Did you hear me?”

“Ah sorry Sarada. What did you say?”

Another smile. “I asked if you were ready?”

The Akimichi swallowed nervously. “Yeah.”

The door opened as a woman with a gentle smile greeted them. “Welcome home Sarada.” She hugged her then turned to the other girl. “Oh! This must be the famous Cho Cho I hear about. Welcome to our home.”


	3. Chapter 3

2.

“Please make yourself comfortable,” the woman known as Sakura gestured kindly towards the couch. “My daughter has told me much about you. Although, we met before right?”

The only thought going through her mind was this lady was an excellent medical ninja that was still talked about throughout the village. She was a legend. Her mind finally caught up with her when she realized she asked a question. “Oh y-yeah. I saw you when we went to go look for your husband. We didn’t really get to talk though.” Wow. Here she was talking to a Sannin. She just couldn’t believe this was actually happening.

Sakura smiled. “I never got to thank you for going with my daughter. I hope she didn’t get you into too much trouble then. She can be quite impulsive like her father.” After she finished her statement, she patted her daughter’s head.

“Hey! I’m not that impulsive!” Her daughter argued before crossing her arms. 

“See! She even has her father's stance.” Sakura laughed. “Just like her dad.”

Cho Cho couldn’t agree more. When they went to go look for Sasuke, and found him. He crossed his arms in the exact same posture. She wondered if she did gestures like that with her dad?

A bell went off somewhere in the apartment signaling Sakura to walk towards the kitchen. “Dinner should be ready in five minutes. Would you girls set the table?” 

Both girls nodded before grabbing some dishes from the cabinet. Sarada had bowls while Cho Cho had silverware and plates. As she was setting the last plate, a man in a dark cloak walked in through the front door. He didn’t seem to notice his house guest as he unbuttoned his cloak, but she did. Amber eyes gradually started widening as he came closer to the dining room. 

“He is quite handsome isn’t he?” A voice said next to her. Cho Cho nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned towards Sakura. The woman had a knowing smile on her face. 

“U-uh y-yeah he is.” She could feel a blush starting to develop and promptly smashed both hands to her cheeks, willing the blush to go away. This was a sannin and not to mention Lady Sakura’s husband. Stupid girlish feelings!

The older Uchiha chuckled upon seeing the blush. She understood. She had been a young girl once upon a time to. “It’s ok to acknowledge handsome men Cho Cho. It wasn’t that long ago that I had those feelings.”

Cho Cho timidly peeked at the Uchiha. She’s right! Where did all her confidence go? Once she felt her self-esteem grow, she smiled at Sakura. The woman returned the gesture and placed a plate of fish on the table. Then she gazed lovingly at her husband, who sat down at the table finally noticing they weren’t alone. 

He stared at the Akimichi girl trying to figure out who she was. He should have noticed sooner that he had a houseguest but his mission took so much out of him. His wife and daughter weren’t attacking her so she wasn’t an enemy he concluded. Judging by how old she was he guessed that she was Sarada’s friend. 

“Dear, we have a guest tonight. This is Cho Cho Akimichi, your daughter’s friend.” His wife confirmed his assumptions as he stared at her intensely. The girl smiled back at him with girlish charm. 

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Uchiha.” Cho Cho said, trying not to squirm under his stare. Man, she didn’t remember him being this intense! 

He merely grunted in response before his wife served him. Cho Cho almost gritted her teeth in irritation from his attitude. Geez, were all good-looking guys like this? Sakura must have noticed this as she started serving her after Sarada and gestured to her husband. “Don’t worry Cho Cho. My husband was never really much of a talker. As a matter of fact it’s rare that he gets to come home for dinner.” Again, the same loving look returned to her face. 

“It’s ok Lady Sakura. I bet you miss him when he is away all the time. I get that! It’s intuition between us ladies after all.” She again smiled and almost started drooling when she saw how good the food looked. 

“You are quite the character.” Sakura laughed, and handed her the food. “You have a good friend Sarada.” 

“I know,” her daughter replied, bringing up her bowl of rice. “I have the bestest friend in the village after all!”

Cho Cho almost choked on her food when she heard Sarada’s bold exclamation. She didn’t know that she meant so much to the Uchiha and that feeling filled her with joy. It actually brought a tear to her eye. “I have the greatest, bestest friend right here too.” 

Both Sasuke and Sakura smiled at the two girls, but Sasuke’s was more of a smirk hidden by his tea cup. Their daughter was going to be an extraordinary ninja once she blossomed and they couldn’t be happier about how well she connected with people. They all raised their cups in cheer and continued eating.

Halfway through their dinner, Sakura placed her chin unto her hand. “So Cho Cho I saw your match during the Chunin exams. Was it at all like you expected?”

Cho Cho looked at Sakura with a piece of fish between her chopsticks. “It wasn’t at all like I expected Lady Sakura, but it was fun regardless. I got to show my parents’ how strong I became. I was angry that Sarada lost to that arrogant jerk Shinki though. I know she will beat him next time.” She explained placing down her fish carefully. Even just hearing his name lit a fire within her. _Did your opinion of me change, even just a little bit… Well…. Just that I was better than you from the start…_  
She angrily sighed then frowned. Damn him and his condescending attitude! Suddenly she lost her appetite which was a real shame since the fish was so tasty. 

Sakura carefully examined the girl and gently smiled. “Sarada did her best and that’s all we can ask. Both of you are still growing and one day will become strong kunoichi that will make this village proud. Right, dear?” Emerald eyes gazed at her husband for confirmation. 

“Yes.” Was his only reply before he stood up. He gave Sakura a look which she knew meant he had to leave again. A phantom sadness filled her heart as she tried her best to keep the smile on her face. 

“Let me make you breakfast for tomorrow. Shouldn’t be too long. I’ll have it by the time you change.” Sasuke nodded in response before his wife left. Then let his gaze fall on Cho Cho. He gave her a nod which left her confused. What was that supposed to mean?

“He acknowledges you,” Sarada explained to her confused friend. “Dad never was good with words so he expresses through gestures.” Her hand fell on her forehead as Sasuke left. Her father’s feelings were very overwhelming sometimes, she thought fondly remembering his gesture of love. 

“Oh! Well he is tall, dark, and handsome. Now I can finally add shyness as well!” 

_Oh Cho Cho,_ Sarada thought happily. She would never get tired of her friend’s behavior. 

~+~+~  
Cho Cho sighed loudly in contentment. Her evening had gone exceptionally well. She had a great dinner with her bestfriend’s family and got to meet two legendary sannin. _Yep! It looked like it was going to be a good night,_ she thought as she walked back to the Akimichi residence. A hum broke out as she threw her arms out pretending to be a butterfly. 

“Is this another symptom associated with your condition?” A voice said from behind her. She jumped back in surprise only to fall onto her behind as Mitsuki smiled at her. Her racing heart did nothing to calm her nerves.

“D-don’t sneak up on me like that!” She gestured angrily at him. “You're lucky I didn’t put you through a wall!” 

Her glare confused him. Why was she mad at him? He merely asked her a question. Humans still confused him greatly with their complex emotions. “I’m sorry.” He held out a hand which only seemed to upset her more. 

“I don’t need your help. I can get up on my own just fine.” She seethed, then realized with horror that she fell unto her bag of potato chips in her ninja bag. No way. Now the chips would be smashed and nobody liked smashed chips. She exhaled slowly before reaching for the damaged bag. The precious chips spilled out of the punctured bag which ignited a rage within her. This was her last bag of chips! How was she supposed to get another one. All the stores would be closed by now. How did it come to this?

Mitsuki curiously tilted his head looking at the Akimichi girl on the ground. He could sense her anger growing and tensed into a battle stance once she stood. He knew from past experience that she wouldn’t hesitate to attack him should he do something wrong, and gazing at the damaged bag of chips she held he messed up bad. Since meeting her, he noted that she was very protective of her bag of chips. He never understood why until he asked Boruto. Apparently the Akimichi valued potato chips very much since they constantly needed to snack in order to support their jutsus. It amazed him that something so trivial could generate something extraordinary.

Cho Cho gritted her teeth and bunched up her fists ready for a fight. Her anger overwhelmed her as she glared at Mitsuki. She knew from past experience that it wasn’t his fault since she learned from Boruto that he was clueless about everything, but still it was her last bag of chips! If he hadn’t snuck up on her then this wouldn’t have happened. He could have announced his presence like a normal person. 

“Mitsuki, do you know what you have done?” She whispered slowly.

“I destroyed your bag of chips. I’m deeply sorry Cho Cho,” he apologized then smiled. It was the most insensitive gesture she witnessed. How dare he just act like it was nothing to him! He didn’t realize how precious those chips were. She slowly walked towards him with her head hanging low. His instinct was to attack her as she walked towards him but he couldn’t do that could he? She was a comrade and not to mention Boruto’s friend. He couldn’t do that to his sun. He lifted his hands once she was close enough, but she merely walked past him in a daze. This confused him even more as he turned and watched her walk away, leaving him standing alone in the deserted street.


	4. Chapter 4

3.  


Cho Cho tried to fight back her tears as she continued on her journey towards her house. This day started off badly then got better then ended tragically. Could it get any worse? She arrived back at her house and sensed her mother’s fury leaking from the door. Oh no, this would not end well. Hastily wiping her tears away she cautiously opened the door only to yelp in surprise when her mom slammed open the door. 

“Have you mastered the lightning release yet?” Karui asked expectantly. At her daughter’s meek expression she sighed. “Well, I guess it can’t be helped. Tomorrow we will train all day till you perform thunderclap fist.” Cho Cho was about to argue when Karui held up a hand. “Don’t argue with me young lady. I gave you time today but looks like we will need to train you harder.” She left her daughter standing in the doorway.

Now Cho Cho wanted to really cry. Tomorrow was supposed to be her day off but of course her mom would ruin it. She trudged up to her room and threw herself unto the bed. The day sucked, she concluded. Maybe tomorrow would be better…. She thought as she closed her eyes.

~+~+~+~+~+~

“Shinki, are you excited to be going back to the leaf village?” A blonde female to his left asked. Her dark blue eyes looked to him for a reaction. His only response was silence. He wasn’t particularly thrilled to be returning to the village hidden in the leaves. Since his last visit he now knew the village wasn’t anything to be exhilarated about. It only produced weak-willed shinobi and cheaters. Particularly the seventh’s son and snake-nin he encountered. He clenched his fist at the mere thought of them. If he ever got the chance to battle them again, he would crush them. Shinki folded his arms and continued to ignore his female companion. 

Yodo smiled and sat back as the thunder train started to depart from the Sunagakure train station. All three ninja sat in silence as the train passed the vast lands of desert. Every minute that ticked by brought them closer to the mission they would need to complete in order to return to their home. 

~+~+~+~

“Lord hokage, Sunagakure’s genin team has arrived. They are waiting in the lobby.” Shikamaru bowed then looked to the hokage for approval. 

“Good. Let them in.” The hokage smiled and put his hands together. This new program that Gaara suggested would help genin become more familiarized with ninja from different villages. It would be an examination of how well they cooperated with each other. At the chunin exams Naruto felt they didn’t get that much exposure since it was interrupted by Kinshiki and Momoshiki. Then when all the different villages left, he felt like there hadn’t been much community building. Gaara must have felt the same since he sent his genin team to Konohagakure upon their agreement. _What a week it will be,_ Naruto thought as the doors opened to Team Shinki. 

The reserved leader stood in the middle of the pack and politely bowed to the leaf’s hokage. His partners followed suit then stood at attention.

“Ah as you know. You were sent here for a mission and I’m pretty sure Gaara didn’t explain but as you saw during the Chunin exams there was little community building between us. The Kazekage and I discussed that it would be a good experience for you to become more familiarized with our customs. So, you will stay here for a week, and should a mission arise you will offer your assistance,” Naruto explained to the kids. A nervous tick began to form when they just stared at him with no emotion. Then suddenly they bowed again, and accepted the facts with no hesitation. The hokage smiled brightly, and dismissed them.

They left the hokage’s office after that and walked silently to their assigned temporary housing. Yodo was the first to break the silence. “At least we will get to see shikadai. Him and his team provided good entertainment during the Chunin exams. Maybe Lady Temari will be them.” She smiled at her companions. “And Bouto.”

Shinki tightened his fist under his iron sand cloak. He didn’t want to see that cheater. In a battle he could handle, but not just casually working alongside him. Although, his father would be sorely disappointed in him if he messed up their mission, so for the time being he would act civil towards the Uzumaki. 

Yodo continued talking despite her travel companions’ silence. “I wonder if they have gotten stronger since the exams. It would be amusing to fight them again.”

“We are here under my father’s orders to remain peaceful while in the leaf and we will not disappoint him.” Shinki looked at the kunoichi who smiled back in response.

“Yes. I understand.”

“Look it’s Shikadai.” Their masked team member pointed to the spiky haired ninja who chatted with his group of friends. Shinki turned his gaze towards the group and felt himself clench his teeth involuntarily. It was the cheater and that weak shinobi. Yodo noticed his tense posture and put a hand on her hip.

“Don’t disappoint your father.”

The boy turned his attention to her. “I won’t.”

The team walked towards the group and stopped a couple of feet from them. “Shikadai.”

Shikadai suddenly tensed at the voice. _Don’t tell me…._  
His cousin and his strange teammates were here. _What a drag_ , he thought and turned towards the sand-nin. “Shinki.”

His friends instantly noticed the out of place ninja and brought out their weapons, ready to battle. “Hey! What are you doing here!” Inojin crouched while bringing out his scroll. “It is prohibited to come here without authorization.”

Yodo smirked at the boy’s cluelessness. “We do have permission. Your hokage granted us access under the Kazekage’s order of helping when needed.” She paused. “Also, team building.”

“What! Dad really did that.” Boruto suddenly looked uncomfortable. He knew that Shinki was still sore at him for what happened during their match, and he didn’t blame him. He did cheat after claiming to be the best ninja. 

All three sand-nin looked at him which made him squirm. “Yes.” It was Shinki this time who spoke, and tried to keep his anger in check. It was disappointing to see how low the hokage’s son could fall. 

“Well! Welcome to our village then.” Mitsuki finally spoke, stepping up in their space. He noticed how awkward the situation was becoming for his sun, and didn’t like it. “I look forward to working with you.” He held out his hand with a smile.

Shinki stared at his outstretched hand. He knew he was stronger than what he was letting on, but for now he would behave well-mannered. Both ninja shook hands and the tension seemed to drop a bit. 

“Oi! You guys want to come get a thunder burger with us?” The blond ninja asked trying to mend his broken bridge with the sand-nin. 

Shinki looked to his companions who nodded in response. He then nodded towards the Uzumaki and began following their group through the streets. The apprehension seemed to return as Inojin nervously kept glancing at the intimidating group. He remembered how powerful their leader was during his match with Sarada and Boruto.

“At least this time we will get to eat in peace since chubs is training with her mom.” He looked at Shikadai who only shook his head at the absurd nickname.

“Chubs? Who's that?” Yodo asked innocently. She remembered a girl being in their group, surely he wasn’t talking about Shinki’s opponent. 

“That's his nickname for Cho Cho. She’s training with her mom today,” Boruto said and stopped at the entrance to Lightning Burger. “Ah! Here we are. Where the best burgers are made! C’mon guys let’s go before all the good tables are taken.” He entered with his group and they ordered their food then sat with one table consisting of Boruto, Shikadai, Inojin, and Mitsuki. While the other sat the visiting sand-nin. 

Yodo shifted in her seat, not liking how hard the plastic was biting her backside. These types of seats weren’t common in Sunagakure, and it would take some getting used to. “Why is that her codename? Is it common here to give nicknames to fellow shinobi?” She asked Boruto, since he seemed to know his comrades better than her. 

Boruto looked at her funny before resting his head on his palm. “Well not really. It’s more of what Inojin does. He comes up with nicknames for his friends.” 

“I see.” She looked at her teammates wondering if they would appreciate having a nickname bestowed upon them. Araya probably wouldn’t mind. Shinki on the other hand. Her lingering gaze caught Shinki’s attention, who glared back. Almost as if sensing what she was thinking. Maybe it would be best not to anger him with unimportant remarks. He was already on edge being so close to Boruto and Mitsuki.

The table of boys chatted excitedly among themselves, barely noticing the other ninja who sat a couple feet away. The sand trio stayed silent as they consumed their meal not minding that they didn’t need to fill their time with useless chatter. It was only when Boruto started telling his friends how he would become the best shinobi that Shinki paid attention. Every word that spilled from his mouth filled him with anger. How dare the boy talk about becoming the best ninja when his honor wasn’t even pure! 

He had to leave otherwise he would fail his father’s mission. His iron sand had already started to quiver as his rage flew through his chakra. Both of his teammates looked at him as he stood. There was an unspoken agreement between them when he left. They knew how competitive he was and being so adjacent to cheaters must have been painful for him to endure. Araya nervously shifted in his seat when he noticed the other table was looking at them. 

“What’s up with him?” Boruto curiously asked. 

“Don’t mind him. Sometimes he gets like that,” Yodo replied with a smile. Then continued eating her hamburger.

The boys stared in confusion at her vague answer. “Hey! Where’s Mitsuki? Wasn’t he just here?” Shikadai noted, staring at the barely touched meal. Boruto and Inojin exchanged a glance then looked towards the entrance of the restaurant. Hopefully he just needed to use the restroom, they both thought uneasily.


	5. Chapter 5

4\. 

He almost sighed in annoyance once he sensed the snake-like ninja behind him. His opinion of this shinobi was already tainted, and he didn’t want to associate himself with such weakness. “What is it,” he asked with barely controlled rage.

“I hope we haven’t upset you. You left in such a hurry that I feared we did something wrong unintentionally.” Mitsuki smiled with no mirth. “Or does it have to do with the chunin exams.”

Shinki turned to look at him with expressionless eyes. He would not rise to the taunt. “Why would I concern myself with something that happened in the past.”

The smile grew on Mitsuki’s face as he gazed back. His golden eyes narrowed before he replied. “You’re right. It doesn’t really matter. Sorry, to bother you.” 

He glowered as the pale boy walked away with a grin. He could see through his fake guise of concern and that angered him more. If he didn’t vent his frustrations soon then he was almost certain he would end up failing the mission. That was something he could not afford to do. The mission always took priority. He began walking towards his temporary housing when he spotted a commotion happening in a nearby grocery store. 

“What do you mean you don’t have this flavor!” A voice shouted, being followed by an angry response. He knew that he should have just kept moving but that voice sparked a faint recognition within him. Intense green eyes watched the exit as a girl stomped out, enraged. “All this way and they don’t even have the flavor I want! Dammit!” She almost screamed to the crowded street and pouted. The scene would have been amusing to him if he didn’t recognize her. That spiky brown hair and auburn gaze were a rarity he noticed the last time he was here. She began walking towards him and passed him with no acknowledgment in her eyes. He turned and watched her disappear into the crowd almost infuriated that she seemed to not recognize him. 

Shinki squeezed his fist. All these ninja were weak, he concluded and continued his quest to his residence. It didn’t matter to him that she didn’t recognize him, he told himself.

~+~+~+~+~

Cho Cho couldn’t remember a time where her favorite store ran out of her favorite flavored potato chips. It was just odd that this happened. She huffed, and began walking towards her residence. She passed many people but didn’t notice that one had taken an interest in her as he turned. A sense of uneasiness washed over her. She stopped and scanned the streets for anything suspicious. Nothing. Shaking her head she continued on her way back home, already dreading the training her mom had in store for her.

~+~+~+~+~+  
_I should have just skipped out on training,_ Cho Cho thought avoiding her mom’s fist by centimeters. The powerful lightning tickled her skin and she felt her own chakra manifest itself into her palm. She threw her fist hoping there would be something but as usual nothing came out. Karui caught her fist and tried to hide her disappointment. 

“Cho Cho why can’t you do this simple jutsu.”

“I’m trying,” she whined, panting heavily. They have been doing exercises since this afternoon and it was already almost dinner. _Too long to go without chips,_ she mentally moaned as her stomach burned with hunger. 

“Trying is not good enough,” Karui stated, picking up her ninja gear. “I think this will conclude today’s training.” Cho Cho sighed happily now that her training was over and pulled out her spare chips. While they were not her favorite, she did still eat them. After her mom was done picking up her gear, they headed towards their residence to make dinner for their family. 

~+~+~+~+~

The next day the young Akimichi strolled through the streets towards the hokage’s office. This morning she had received a summons to arrive as soon as possible for a meeting concerning some visiting shinobi. The young girl blew out a puff of air but stopped short when a figure landed in front of her. Golden eyes smiled at her along with a bag of chips. Cho Cho stared at the offered chips then to Mitsuki. His smile grew as he caught her gaze. 

“I bought some chips this morning. I hope it is to your liking. I wasn’t sure which flavor suited your taste so I bought one at random.” He held the bag up higher, and took a step closer.

Cho Cho stared at him for a while longer then took the offer gift. It wasn’t her favorite flavor but she would eat it regardless. “What’s this for?”

“Boruto told me how much you value your chips, and my actions caused you to become upset. I thought this would make your condition better.” 

“U-uh thanks I guess.” She felt a blush start to form on her cheeks but quickly turned away from him. Stupid Mitsuki! Why did he have to do this! She was content with staying mad at him but not when he did stuff like this. Even if he did get her the wrong kind of chips it was still a very nice gesture. 

Mitsuki put a hand to his mouth in observation. _It seems that I made her upset again,_ he pondered gazing at her hair that covered the left side of her face. He was sure that buying a bag of potato chips would make her happy. It was what Boruto said afterall. Humans were confusing and he wished he understood them better. 

Cho Cho chanced a peek at him and found him staring at her. She quietly squeaked and dropped the chips. _What was with him and always staring at people_ she thought, going to pick up the bag. As her hand touched the plastic, a pale hand fell unto hers. Cho Cho gulped and looked up. Mitsuki gazed back at her and threw on his best smile. She quickly withdrew her hand and stood up. Now she knew a blush was forming cause of this annoying, cute snake-nin. 

“A-ah s-sorry. I have to go,” she said and ran as fast as she could towards the hokage’s tower. His smile suddenly dropped as he watched her run off. Had he done something wrong? It was courtesy to help someone when they dropped something right? So why did she run off. It confused him greatly as he stood there with his gift. Hopefully he would get to give her the chips later. 

Cho Cho panted from the heavy exertion she was putting on her body but she didn’t want to stop till she was out of the snake-nin’s range. She could feel that her face was hot and she didn’t want to dwell on who caused it. It was just her girlish feelings after all. She thought that of every handsome or cute ninja she saw so it didn’t matter right? As she was contemplating her dilemma she didn’t see Inojin as he was going into the building. They both crashed into each other and fell onto their backs. 

“Ow! What’s your deal chubs! Can’t you see where you were going, or has your vision been affected by your chubbiness as well,” Inojin grumbled from the ground. “I think you might’ve given me a concussion.” He rubbed his head while frowning. A chuckle sounded from his left and he turned to scowl at Shikadai.

“C’mon guys, quit playing around. This day is already turning into a real drag. On top of this were expected by Lord Seventh. We shouldn’t keep him waiting,” he said, and offered a hand to both of his teammates. Cho Cho smiled from the ground and grabbed his hand. 

“Sorry. I guess I was in such a hurry that I didn’t see you Inojin.” She smirked at his deadpan expression. 

“Yeah right. Like I believe that,” he replied and grabbed Shikadai’s other hand. The spiky hair boy pulled up both his companions and sighed heavily. 

“What a pain. First I get yelled at by mom then called to the hokage’s tower for what I assume to be a mission. What a great way to start my day,” Shikadai drawled, putting his hands behind his head. His dark green eyes gazed up at the sky watching the clouds float by.

“Oh really? Well my day was going great till I almost got crushed by chubs.” Inojin stated as he began following his team’s leader into the building. 

“I said I was sorry. Why do you have to be so dramatic?” The young kunoichi rolled her eyes and followed her two friends. They didn’t even collide that hard. 

“I’m not being dramatic. I’m just voicing what happened.”

“You so totally are. Here I am being a lady and saying I’m sorry but you're not accepting it!”

Inojin laughed and crossed his arms. “A lady? Last time I checked that wasn’t you.”

The female member of their group gritted her teeth and glared at the pale artist who smirked. Shikadai exhaled again looking at both of his comrades. He stepped between them and held them back. “Guys we really don’t have time for this. We're already late as it is. I’m probably going to get a lecture from my mom when I get back and I don’t want to anger her more than she already is. So let’s go.” 

Cho Cho threw one last glare at her pale friend before walking ahead of them. She huffed and flipped her hair. Shaking his head, Shikadai motioned for Inojin to follow before they got left behind. All three genin reached the door then allowed their leader to knock. 

“Enter.” The muffled Hokage’s voice called. They entered and stopped suddenly when they saw who was in the room besides the Hokage.


	6. Chapter 6

5.

All three sand-nin turned to look at them when they entered the room. Both teams gazed back at each other until the room started to fill with awkwardness. 

Naruto stood and cleared his throat when he noticed the sudden uncomfortable silence in the room. “Good, Team 10 is here.” At the mention of their team’s name all three members averted their attention to the Hokage. “I have a mission for you. It’s nothing too special but I thought it would be perfect for you guys since you’re already kinda familiar with each other ya know. It’s to show our fellow shinobi around the village and get them accustomed to our traditions.” Bright blue eyes looked at each shinobi expectantly.

When nobody moved Shikadai stepped up then bowed formally. “Yes, Lord Seventh. We accept your mission.”

The Hokage smiled and turned towards the sand trio. “These guys are the best and they will show you around. Thanks for being patient while I rounded up a team to take you.”

“It is not a problem Lord Hokage. We are honored to be invited into your village and participate in your traditions,” the reserved sand leader spoke then bowed. His teammates echoed their leader’s traditional gesture and then walked towards Team 10 where they awaited to be dismissed. 

“You flatter me too much,” Naruto said and scratched the back of his head nervously. He had never seen so much formality since he became Hokage. It was kind of nerve wracking. “Now please, go enjoy yourselves.” He nodded at Team 10 who gave him a thumbs up before they left with their new comrades. Naruto sat back down at his desk and relaxed. He looked out the window and hoped that Gaara’s plan would work. Before he got too absorbed into his thoughts he looked at a picture of his family on his desk. Maybe he would finally get to have a peaceful dinner with them tonight. 

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

As both genin teams left the Hokage Tower there was tension in the air. Shikadai sighed once again and looked at the clouds in the sky wishing he was up there with them. It was kinda a drag when nobody was talking to each other. 

“So where do you want to start first?” he asked while looking towards his cousin. Shinki stared back, not offering an answer. _Man, what a drag. Looks like I will have to take the reigns._ “Any suggestions guys?” He looked towards his own team. Inojin shrugged uncomfortably, not really liking he would have to spend time with the ninja who beat him during his exam. Not to mention their powerful leader. 

“We could go see the makeup shop that would be fun,” Cho Cho offered, looking at her nails. It would have to be clear coated again. 

“For you maybe, but I was talking about real suggestions not errands.” Shikadai rolled his eyes which earned a light laugh from the sand female kunoichi. He raised an eyebrow at her odd behavior before he was tackled by a yellow blur.

“Shikadai! Help! Sarada’s going to kill me!” Boruto exclaimed and hid behind his friend’s back. 

“What!?” He said when he heard yelling coming from the alleyway. They both looked towards the dark space with fear in their eyes.

“Boruto! I swear next time you do something this stupid I will end you!”

A young girl came running from the alley followed by a pale ninja. They stopped when they saw the group of shinobi. Her red eyes were glaring at Boruto who cowered behind the shadow nin’s back. She was so frustrated she didn’t even notice she had an audience.

“Sarada! What are you doing here?” A lightfelt voice asked. Sarada finally snapped out of her fury when she heard Cho Cho. A blush lit up her face in embarrassment when she saw all the eyes staring at her. 

“Oh! Cho Cho, I was just out with my teammates before this idiot made a suggestive comment towards a poor innocent girl.” She crossed her arms, frowning at her blond teammate. “So inconsiderate.”

“What? She was cute. Am I not entitled to have a little fun?” Boruto asked as he stepped out from behind Shikadai.

“No, you're not,” she replied then faced away from him. 

“Oh and why’s that?”

“I-I don’t have to answer you!” Sarada scowled and pushed back up her glasses while sporting a blush. “You idiot.”

“Okay c’mon guys calm down,” Shikadai said, holding his hands up. “We have visitors in case you haven’t noticed.”

Both Sarada and Boruto finally noticed the extra shinobi. Mitsuki walked up to the sand leader and extended his hand. “Nice to meet you again.”

Shinki wanted to narrow his eyes at the snake-nin but simply shook his hand. The anger inside of him started to rise when the pale ninja greeted him like they were old friends. He watched as the one known as Mitsuki nod politely at his teammates before he returned to Boruto’s side. What was it about this blond ninja that had everyone navigate around him. Everything he was, was based on deception. His gaze narrowed in thought of the Hokage’s son as he continued scanning the others. He stopped on a girl with auburn eyes. He knew her name was Cho Cho from the last time they had chatted with the other ninja. 

He watched as she talked with the Uchiha whom he defeated back in the Chunin Exams. The way she casually flipped her hair and laughed alongside her friend irritated him for no reason. 

“You should talk to her,” Yodo commented offhandedly seeing where his gaze fell. “She seems nice.” 

Her music drifted between them as the silence continued. Both sand shinobi continued to observe the Akimichi until she saw them watching her. 

~+~+~+~+~

Cho Cho took Sarada aside when Boruto went to talk to Shikadai, Inojin, Mitsuki and the invited quiet masked-nin. The Uchiha heiress was fuming still but also sported a blush that covered up most of her face. 

“That bad huh? Who would’ve thought that Boruto could be such a jerk,” she said resting her hand on her hip. 

“You have no idea Cho Cho, he always makes things so difficult for me. I think he’s doing it on purpose.” Sarada glared at Boruto’s back. 

“Hey calm down, it’s not like he’s your boyfriend right?”

Dark eyes widen in surprise. “N-no of course not. It’s just that- I don’t know.” The Uchiha looked away sadly. 

Seeing her friend sad made her sympathetic. Damn that Uzumaki! Doing this to her friend. “Cheer up Sarada, he is a blond idiot for not seeing how great you are.” She put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. 

“Yeah, I guess you're right.” The other girl smiled up at her friend. Cho Cho let a smile grace her lips. It was better when Sarada was happy, she never wanted to see her sad. 

“Plus if he doesn’t swoon to your womanly charms I can go smack some sense into him.” The mocha-colored skinned girl pretended to punch the air. This made both girls share a laugh at the silly gesture. 

A feeling of being watched made Cho Cho turn around trying to find the source. Two sets of eyes stared at her which made her jump in surprise. Sarada noticed her friend’s movement and looked in the direction of the cause. She noticed the sand shinobi looking in their direction. More importantly at Cho Cho. The blond kunoichi suddenly gave a wave which both girls gave back uneasily. 

“Aren’t they the ones from the Chunin Exams?” 

“Yeah. They are more scary now that I see them closely.” 

“C’mon Cho Cho don’t say mean things like that! I’m sure they are friendly to talk to.” Sarada nudged the other girl. 

“I guess. Well! In that case we should go say ‘hi’ hmmm,” she said and grabbed her arm. Sarada chuckled being led by her friend.

“Hello, nice to see you again!” Cho Cho smiled brightly then let go of her friend. The Sharingan user gave a smile as well. She could admit that even though Shinki beat her in the exams, she would still connect with people. 

“Good to see you again. Cho Cho wasn’t it?” Yodo asked and held out her hand in greeting. 

“Yeah, and this is my best friend Sarada.” She shook her hand, and pointed to the other girl.

“I saw your match against Araya and Shinki. You fought good Sarada, be proud of that.” Yodo smiled, shaking the other girl’s hand. 

The young Uchiha returned the gesture. “I am. Thank you.”

As his female companion was greeting the leaf kunoichi, Shinki looked to the side refusing to look at Cho Cho. Something about her didn’t sit well with him. Maybe it was her weakness that she displayed in the exams he concluded and frowned.

“This is Shinki. He is not much of a talker, but his father is the Kazekage.” Yodo gestured to him with a nod. He shot her a look that meant he was getting annoyed. “I guess one would say he’s shy.” A teasing smile grew on her lips. She had heard what the young Akimichi girl said in the exams regarding her teammate. 

At the mention of being labeled as shy, Shinki glared at Yodo, who kept her gaze on their companions. He didn’t appreciate being made fun of. 

“I thought so! I mean no way would he be able to resist my charm! Even though he could’ve gone alittle easier on a lady.” Cho Cho winked at him. He continued ignoring them then closed his eyes. 

Yodo lightly chuckled. This girl was something else. Never had she heard someone talk so openly about their feelings. Especially concerning their private leader. “Of course he should’ve.” 

“That’s enough Yodo.” Shinki finally spoke then opened his eyes slowly to look at Cho Cho. “I wouldn’t have gone easy on you regardless if you're female or not. You're weak.”

A painful silence followed before it was broken by Sarada, who activated her Sharingan. “How dare you! You don’t know how-” She was cut off when Cho Cho held out her arm. 

“Don’t waste your breath Sarada. I guess my hunch was right about this guy.” Intense auburn eyes locked onto his. “He is not worth our time.” Cho Cho turned around but not before saying a farewell to Yodo. Her dark haired friend followed suit then threw one last glare at the sand ninja. 

Yodo watched them walk away with conflicted feelings. “Was that such a good thing to say Shinki.”

The stoic leader watched her hair sway as she walked away. That hair color was so unusual it made it her stand out he realized then suddenly narrowed his eyes. It wasn’t like him to notice these things. For a moment he just wanted to get away from her and blurted the first thing that came to his mind. She had mentioned their match so he logically recalled what happened. Although now as she moved farther away he almost regretted what he said. His father would be sorely disappointed if he found out how his son was handling the mission bestowed upon him. 

“It doesn’t matter,” he murmured then chose to look back to the side ignoring everything around him.

His blue eyed companion sighed before looking up at the sky. _Lord Gaara, I hope that we can complete this mission for you._


	7. Chapter 7

6.

“Can you believe that guy! Acting so condescending and just-argh. I can’t imagine what was going through his head when he said that!” Her hands balled into fists. “I know that he beat me but still! What gives him the right to say that.” Cho Cho puffed out her cheeks and looked at her friend. The young Uchiha wasn’t faring much better, she still had her Sharingan ablaze and fists ready to fight. 

“Exactly! I swear sometimes I think that all boys are jerks. Saying something so thoughtless.” 

They both walked back to the group of boys who all nodded in agreement upon something Shikadai said. Confusion passed between both girls before they caught up to the boys.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” Sarada asked with a hand on her hip. 

All the boys turned to look at her, then Boruto jumped out. “Nothing important. Shikadai here came up with a brilliant idea. In order to help Team 10 with their mission of getting the sand shinobi familiar with Konohagakure I volunteered our help.”

Shikadai smirked. “Yeah and from what I saw earlier I think I devised the perfect coordination.” He pointed to Boruto then to Inojin. “These two will take Araya and show him around the training grounds then the north district. After that I’m sure they have more places they could show him.” Both blond ninja gave a thumbs up to each other before going to where Araya nervously stood. 

“No problem! We got this, right Inojin.”

“Yeah!” They high-fived then both turned towards the nervous genin. He didn’t know what they wanted but hesitantly tapped his palms into theirs. 

“Next will be Lady Sarada and myself. We will take Yodo around the east side and to the Hokage’s summit. Then just show her how people act in Konohagakure through everyday activities.” The spiky-haired boy continued looking at Sarada for any objection. The young kunoichi looked reluctant. She knew this was a good plan since it was conjured up by a brilliant strategist but that meant Shinki would be paired with Cho Cho. He was a jerk and very rude. That made her stomach churn with discomfort. Just as she was about to object a voice beat her to it.

“What!? Why do I have to get paired with them.” Cho Cho yelled pointing to the remaining ninja. “Can’t I switch places with somebody?”

Shikadai pinched his eyebrows in annoyance. “No. Boruto and Inojin get along really well with Araya, and I don’t wanna get stuck going to beauty shops all day. Besides I calculated this so that each member of our team has a chance to team build with each other. You and Sarada are basically attached at the hip so maybe it’s good to communicate with other members of her team.”

“But still-” She mumbled and glanced at both boys. Mitsuki smiled once he saw her look at him. She immediately felt her face heat up, but diminished once she saw Shinki still refusing to look at her. Great. “Fine,” she said, accepting defeat then moved to stand in between her temporary teammates. 

Sarada watched her with distress in her eyes. “All right, since everything is settled, we should meet back here in three hours.” Dark green eyes looked at each shinobi who nodded in affirmation. 

As her team was about to leave Sarada dashed over to Cho Cho who stood awkwardly away from her male companions. “You will tell me the instant that he does or says anything wrong alright.” She had long since deactivated her kekkei genkai but with the stern sand ninja she knew she could take him. She was just worried about Cho Cho. 

“Don’t worry, if he does I’ll make sure he knows how strong leaf kunoichi are.” Her painted lips smiled reassuringly at the other girl. “You better go before Shikadai decides to leave you behind.”

Sarada nodded then ran back to her team as they were leaving. Yodo noticed the girl catching up and gave her a small smile. “Please forgive Shinki, he didn’t contemplate how his words can affect others.”

“No kidding. It was very insensitive of him to say that to Cho Cho.” She frowned, moving her gaze to the side. 

Yodo looked deep in thought then stared ahead. “Shinki may appear that way but he always had trouble with words.”

The dark-haired girl raised an eyebrow but jogged to catch up when she saw her teammates walk ahead of her. 

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

The young Akimichi bit her lip when she noticed that no one in their group moved or said anything. Boruto’s team had already left just about the same time as Sarada’s. Now, it just left her squad. A mysterious snake-nin and an impolite jerk. 

“So Mitsuki where do you think we should take our guest first,” she asked him while still avoiding his gaze. It wasn’t because of what happened earlier she told herself.

Mitsuki put a hand to his mouth in thought. “I think letting Shinki see the Fire Park would be a good start. There are many animals there that are interesting. I saw them while helping Boruto and Sarada deal with anxiety.”

“Alright.” She turned to look at Shinki who just stood there blankly. An uneasy look washed over her face before she moved to stand in front of him. The instant she was face to face with him he looked at her. Cho Cho fought down a blush as she saw that his eyes held a light undertone of grey. It made his iris stand out. “Are you ok with going to the Fire Park? It’s not fancy like the training grounds but maybe we could go visit those later.”

A nod was given to her. She began walking towards where the park was located still peeved at him for calling her weak. Both young ninja followed her, not really knowing how to strike up a conversation. This mission was about team building after all. Shinki looked at the other ninja, not really happy he got paired with him. His mind just kept recalling his match with the boy and how he had the audacity to end their match early. Not only did he disrespect him but he still didn’t know the full extent of his power. 

“Is there something you need?” Mitsuki asked. A gleam rose within his golden eyes as he returned the sand ninja’s gaze. 

“No.” He determined that this weak ninja wasn’t worth his time. He let himself look at the girl that he made mad earlier. She still had that intense aura around her and he anticipated that she forced herself to face him earlier. A smirk threatened to break through his calm exterior. Even though she was weak, a little respect grew for her. His gaze lingered for a while longer as they walked towards the park. Shinki knew he had to say something in order for him to complete his mission, but he was at a loss. Words never came easy to him, especially concerning females. With Yodo it was different because he never really thought of her as a girl but a comrade. He sighed quietly wishing that he could complete this mission with ease. 

Mitsuki felt a small burst of anger form in the pit of his stomach when he noticed that Shinki was staring just a bit too long at Cho Cho. The quiet sand nin held an excellent poker face so he couldn’t really tell what he was thinking. He frowned as he continued walking behind the Akimichi girl. His instincts told him that the other ninja didn’t like him, but now he found himself growing a dislike for him as well. Which confused him greatly since he had no reason to detest Shinki. 

“Ah! Here we are. Doesn’t look too crowded,” Cho Cho announced, scanning the entrance. There were few customers who were entering the park and she could already see the animals that were in the zoo. An excitement rose within her since it had been a long time since she had visited the park. Both male ninja watched as she practically bounced to the ticket line.

“She seems to be very exhilarated.” Mitsuki observed when he stood next to Shinki. The sand nin ignored him and walked up to Cho Cho who stood happily in line. He saw her checking her ninja pouch for something. A frown started forming on her lips when she couldn’t find what she was looking for.

“Dammit! I know I put my purse in here this morning.” She panicked and took off her entire ninja pouch. Her eyes narrowed in worry when she couldn’t find her money for admission. 

“Next, please!” A cashier yelled, signaling for the genin team to come forward. Anxiety flowed through her as she watched Mitsuki pay for himself. 

“Next.” Shinki walked up to the cashier and paid the asking amount. Cho Cho really started panicking when it was her turn. Now she wouldn’t be able to go in with her teammates! She looked around and almost walked back to Mitsuki to ask if she could borrow money when a ticket was held out to her. Shinki tried to look uninterested as he offered the girl the ticket. He heard what she had been saying and took it upon himself to resolve the problem. 

Cho Cho surveyed the ticket suspiciously thinking that he wanted something in return. She searched his gaze looking for anything wrong but found nothing. When he continued holding out the yellow ticket growing uncomfortable that she wouldn’t take it, she finally took it. He quickly turned around feeling his heartbeat pick up. This was the first time he had given a gift to a female, and she had accepted it. 

“Thank you,” Cho Cho said and walked into the park ignoring Shinki’s behavior. Mitsuki watched the scene play out before him not liking that the young sand ninja paid for her. He still had on his everlasting poker face but he knew that he was up to something. His instincts flared and he walked closer to Cho Cho. 

Dark green eyes narrowed as he watched the pale ninja close the gap between the kunoichi and himself. He didn’t know why it annoyed him when it shouldn’t have, but he kept following them to the first exhibit that the park had to offer. 

“Wow! Look at those!” Cho Cho exclaimed and pointed to some miniature monkeys swinging on vines around some trees. Mitsuki tilted his head as he regarded the animals then smiled when one of the monkeys grew bold enough to swing unto his shoulder. 

“Awwww there so cute!” The young kunoichi said, gently scratching the monkey's fur. _They’re so cute and small,_ she thought and laughed when another one crawled onto her shoulder. The beady black eyes stared at her curiously before the animal started playing with her hair. She smiled then looked towards their third member of the group, who was currently in a glaring contest with a monkey who sat on his head. The innocent creature was playing with his hair and cooing to his other friends. 

A giggle escaped her which surprised her, but the picture of the stern ninja glaring at a small innocent creature was too cute to ignore. Her chuckle caught the attention of the sand-nin who looked at her then quickly looked to the side with a scowl. _How humiliating,_ he thought as he felt his face heating up, and gave the creature on his head one last glare as it took off. He was happy these animals weren’t native to Sunagakure because he was already growing annoyed with them. 

Mitsuki put his arm out as the miniature monkey jumped back into the trees and continued onto the next exhibit with Cho Cho and Shinki. He also made sure to stay close to the young girl since he was sure the sand ninja couldn’t be trusted. The next exhibit they visited was full of snakes. The golden eyed boy was very excited since the last time he visited the park with his original teammates they passed this exhibit. 

Cho Cho bit her lip. Snakes were not something she wanted to see right now. They freaked her out with their slimy bodies and piercing eyes. “U-uh you know what. How about you guys go in without me. I’ll wait for you right here.” She shivered and avoided her teammates' gazes. 

Shinki almost sighed. Guess he couldn’t expect her to be fearless like every shinobi he encountered. Still, he could respect that she had fears just like everybody else. Mitsuki on the other hand was disappointed. He didn’t know that Cho Cho had a fear of snakes, which saddened him. He was technically part snake and he wondered if she had a fear of him. 

He put on a fake smile to hide his true feelings then turned his piercing eyes onto her. “If you are uncomfortable, then we will not go into this exhibit.” 

“T-thank you.” They walked past the display but didn’t see as a snake was performing tricks with a snake handler. The grey animal curled up and shot out like a spring to stand perfectly straight while music played in the background. It then turned its head as it sensed another snake user. Mitsuki stared back and smiled like he was seeing an old friend. The image of the snake looking in their direction with light green eyes made Cho Cho freeze. This thing was looking straight at them and it scared her more than she realized. Her feet backed up till she hit another person, but she didn’t care as long as she got away from those creepy eyes. 

Shinki looked down at the girl who was currently pressed up against him. A small sweat started to form when she unconsciously grabbed his iron sand cloak. She was almost hugging him he realized and tried not to lose control of the situation. His face started to heat up but he refused to let it be over her. It was anger he tried to tell himself as he stared straight ahead. He almost wished that his cloak wasn’t in the way as she pushed in further. This was also the first time he let anybody aside from his father be this close to him. 

As he was trying to figure out what to say in this situation, she suddenly left his side to go ahead of them. Her body was still trembling but she confidently walked like it didn’t affect her that much. He watched as she leaned against the entrance to the next exhibit and crisscross her arms. He had to commend her for not squealing like a frightened girl but walk away calmly. He looked towards the other ninja who was praising the snake handler for his creative work. Shinki sighed before going to stand next to Cho Cho. 

Her auburn eyes looked at him quickly before she turned to look at a cute zoo animal painting. 

This was his chance to say something to her without the interference of Mitsuki. “It’s alright to be afraid of some things.” 

“Huh?” She quirked an eyebrow at him. 

“The snakes.”

“Oh, I guess,” she said and looked back at the painting. “I guess that’s another weakness you can add to the list huh?”

He was taken back by her throwing his words back at him. This wasn’t going well and he was about to apologize when Mitsuki showed up out of nowhere.

“Shall we get going then?” 

Cho Cho jumped in surprise then glowered at Mitsuki. “Will you stop doing that! You're going to give someone a heart attack!”

“My apologies,” he said, smiling unapologetically. The Akimichi rolled her eyes then continued onto the next exhibit with her temporary teammates.


	8. Chapter 8

7.

A giant wolf growled at the visitors while pacing in its cage. Dangerous grey eyes observed the patrons with disdain. Cho Cho was amazed that a creature this big was housed here. The animal was roughly the size of her house if not larger. She stared in amazement as her companions looked on in boredom. For Mitsuki the highlight of the park was witnessing a snake show. He was content with just that. Shinki wasn’t really looking at the animals anymore, instead he was thinking about what the female kunoichi told him earlier. 

It started to weigh heavily on his mind that he told her that she was weak. His observation started to click together that it wasn’t good team building and he feared that he messed up beyond redemption. His green eyes observed her as she smiled up at the animal on display. 

“So cool!” She commented then started moving towards the next enclosure. Her conscious started to nag at her when she glanced at Shinki. Maybe she had been too harsh with her earlier statement, but when she started thinking about when he called her weak it made the resentment towards him stronger. She was contemplating on what to do when an explosion caused her to sharply turn. The cage to the giant maned wolf was blown to pieces which allowed the animal to jump out. Scared patrons began running and screaming as the wolf started to howl. 

“Cho Cho! Shinki! We need to restrain that wolf,” Mitsuki yelled when he also saw the animal leap out of its cage. 

“Yeah, but what about the crowd,” she called back. The people were doing a pretty good job at clearing the area but there were still some bystanders who couldn’t move quickly. 

“It’s alright. If we can hold off the wolf we can prevent casualties,” he said and used his Soft Physique Modification to wrap his arms around the wolf’s muzzle. The beast reared its head back as it tried to shake off the appendage. 

“He’s right,” Shinki agreed and raised his hand to control the iron sand that surrounded him. A giant hand grew from the sand which then rushed towards the wolf, who dodged it by jumping to the side. The force from the jump gave the beast leverage as it raised its head and threw Mitsuki into a tree. He grunted upon impact then narrowed his eyes on the creature, pulling his restraints against the animal. The wolf merely gave a growl before evading another iron hand. The force from this jump hurled Mitsuki who still had a grip on the animal into another tree. This time he couldn’t hold on and had to let go. 

“Damn,” he muttered, wiping his mouth. The giant wolf growled again and started taking off towards where the visitors were rushing towards the exit. 

“No you don’t!” A giant fist grabbed the tail and pulled. The animal whimpered then growled at the girl who held its tail. A giant paw swiped at her as she dodged and rolled away. Multiple iron hands shot out and tried to grab the animal but it evaded each attack swiftly. Dilated pupils scanned each shinobi before it went on the offense and started trying to pounce on each human. 

Shinki avoided its jaws as it snapped shut centimeters from his face. The animal wasn’t letting up and seemed to enjoy the freedom it had. He gritted his teeth as he threw his hand up. The black iron sand grew into a wave which overpowered the animal by height, but as he was about to throw his attack a cry reached his ears. A small child was cowering in fear near some bushes, crying loudly.

The wolf reared its head when it heard the noise and started charging at the source. Knowing that his attack would hurt the innocent child he reluctantly reeled back his iron sand. Instead he ran towards the young child, all the while trying to use his iron sand to slow down the creature. Mitsuki saw what was happening and threw some kunai to help. It was useless as the animal let the knives penetrate its flesh but still kept moving. It wasn’t stopping and almost caught up with the child when a piece of debris was thrown at it. 

Cho Cho punched the ground and threw more debris catching its attention. The wolf steered off course instead going for the young kunoichi, giving Shinki enough time to grab the child and jump to safety. Once he put the child out of harm’s way he saw the wolf get closer to Cho Cho. She held a good defense as she jumped out of the way of the big jaws, throwing well aimed punches. He threw up a wall between her and the wolf when she tripped and fell backwards. _My patience is wearing thin with this,_ he thought glaring at the troublesome creature. 

He gathered his iron sand around the enormous beast but stopped when Mitsuki came in with his snake lightning. The wolf saw the attack and sideswiped the pale ninja with its giant body. He saw the snake-nin take the brunt of the blow then flip midair to land in a crouch. The young boy held no emotions in his eyes as he looked at the rampaging creature but started to sway lightly as he stood. _Pathetic_ he thought and went over to assist the pale ninja. As he neared the other boy the wolf suddenly charged at him. 

“Shinki!” A voice yelled and he quickly turned to see the wolf’s giant teeth heading towards him. Just as he was about to throw an attack two giant arms snaked around the creature’s throat. The giant animal violently swung its head side to side throwing off the young girl. While she was falling the wolf charged its head and threw her violently into the pavement. It put its enormous paw on her ramming her down into the ground. Cho Cho cried out in pain as her body was slowly being crushed.

“Cho Cho!” Mitsuki exclaimed, hurling kunai towards the animal. It leaped back only to get caught in iron sand as it covered its entire body. The animal whimpered when it was brought down to its knees. The snake-nin ignored the whimpering animal, choosing instead to run to the kunoichi’s side. She looked exhausted, barely able to keep open her eyes.

“Cho Cho, are you alright?” He asked, scanning her body for damage. His own injuries didn’t matter to him since he was more worried about her. A cut was visible on her right arm along with bruises forming on her lower arms. 

“I’m fine,” she replied and started to stand up only to sway on her feet. She collapsed back onto the ground, panting. Mitsuki gently grabbed her bleeding arm, hovering his hands over the wound as light green chakra illuminated between the space. When his healing treatment began Shinki landed in front of them. A glare was directed at the young Akimichi who gazed back precariously. Green eyed surveyed the damage the girl sustained not liking what he saw. Rage started to develop the longer he stared at her injuries. 

“Why did you interfere?” he growled out. “I had a counterattack ready and if that didn’t work I already calculated that my iron sand would’ve protected me.” 

Put off by how he was talking to her, Cho Cho got up in his face. “Are you serious! You were totally distracted back there. I saved you from being that wolf’s dinner.” 

“I had everything under control.” Shinki crossed his arms and closed his eyes. “I didn’t need any assistance from you. I’m not a weakling that needs to be saved.” 

“Oh? And I guess that more of your condescending attitude talking. Sorry for being a delicate flower that actually has feelings and not just some emotionless robot!” 

The young boy slowly opened his eyes to glower at the Akimichi girl. “A condescending attitude huh? It seems like that's the only way of communicating with weak shinobi nowadays.”

Auburn eyes widened before matching his glare. “You're unbelievable! I-I can’t b-belive-” She started before she felt her world start to spin. Cho Cho put a hand to head as she felt herself fall backwards. 

Shinki saw the girl start to sway and instinctively conjured up his iron sand to break her fall when she blacked out. Her hair flew in the wind and he hated how it made him want to flush with how cute she looked. He looked at the unconscious girl with hate in his eyes as he started to realize that he was starting to like how she stood up to him with no fear in her demeanor. Although he also understood that it was getting him nowhere with his mission. 

“Cho Cho!” Mitsuki shouted, moving to gather the girl into his arms. As he was about to grab her body, the iron sand repelled his touch. He frowned and looked at the sand user who gave him one look before shifting his body. The glistening sand fell from under Cho Cho’s body letting Mitsuki catch her in his arms. Golden eyes watched her face carefully, detesting how he missed that she somehow had a split lip. _The wound did not suit her delicate lips,_ he thought and lightly pushed back some bangs that fell near her eyes. He moved his hand over the injury conjuring his medical ninjutsu to fix the damage.

Shinki faced away when Mitsuki performed the intimate gesture. He fought down his distaste of the pale ninja for the time being as he healed her visible injury. A small worry settled in his chest when she had collapsed due to arguing with him. She was heavily injured during their battle and he had provoked her to the point of fainting. His dark gaze drifted to her unconcious face. Why did she jump in so recklessly? Did she realize the power he held within his iron sand. Shinki never had any of his teammates come to his defense since they knew he could protect himself. But she was different, were all leaf shinobi like this? He shifted in discomfort, was this part of their traditions as well? 

Both boys looked up as medics arrived wheeling a gurney. “We're looking for any injured during the attack. If you could please move back, we can assess the damage.” A generic medical-nin instructed slightly shoving Mitsuki out of the way. His hands hovered above the comatose girl, who seemed to have developed heavy breathing and broke out into a sweat. The medical ninja looked at his companion in uncertainty as he examined her symptoms. 

“What do you think? It seems like she punctured something but I can’t be certain.”

His colleague narrowed his eyes. “It’s a possibility, but we should have Lady Uchiha take a look at her. Either way it’s something we can’t take lightly here.”

They began loading her onto the medial gurney when Shinki interrupted them. “Is she going to be alright?” The black sand shifted around him as he tried to appear disinterested. Something like this happened all the time to shinobi so why did he feel worried? She wasn’t even his real teammate.

“We don’t know for sure but Lady Uchiha will evaluate the damage.” Was their only response as they vanished with some specific hand signs. 

With the giant wolf contained by some Fire Park staff, and Shinki’s iron sand. Mitsuki started walking away leaving the sand-nin standing there, debating. A part of him wanted to go to the hospital while another wanted to see his original teammates.

“We should let the others know about Cho Cho’s condition.” Shinki looked up and nodded. He followed behind the leaf ninja while they searched for the other shinobi.


End file.
